Die.



C. A. LE DUC.

DIE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. II, I915- Patented May 9, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I. A2 13 WITNESS? INVENTOR.

A TTOR NE Y.

C. A. LE DUC.

v DIE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11,!9l5.

1,182,493, 7 Patented May 9,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESS. INVENTOR.

J J ITED STAT CHARLES A.. LE DUC, 0F LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF THIRTY-FIVE ONE- HUNDREDTHS TOHARRY SNIDER, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

DIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Application filed November 11, 1915. SerialNo. 60,923.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. Ln DUO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dies, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dies especially of the reversible type which are used for cutting blanks from thin sheet material such as upper leather for boots and shoes. It is especially adapted for skeleton double edged or reversible dies whichcan be operated from either side to cut" rights or lefts. The top and bottom cutting edges of such dies are usually of the same form, one of said edges being used for rights and the other for lefts, the die beingreversible.

One purpose of my device is to provide a frame. and a holder for the die and a pro tector for the cutting edge which is from time to time at the top whereby such dies,

may be used in the well known forms of clicking presses. Such frame is so made that it can be shifted so as to protect the other edge when the die is reversed.

Another purpose of my'invention is to so arrange counter operating mechanism that the total number of blanks cut or preferably the number of rights and also the number of lefts will be automatically registered by'the press bufferengaging-the'die.

In the drawings,,l igure 1 is a plan View of one form ofdie,suitable for cutting out the tongues of shoes, equipped with my device. Fig. 2-is a sectional elevation looking upward on the line XY of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on the line ST of Fig. 1. Fig. t is a plan View of another form f die .suchas is suitable for cutting out the uppers for shoes. F ig. 5 is a detail showing a modified formof bearing slot. Fig. 6 is a plan viewshowing an 6X: terior frame instead of an interior frame. Fig. 7 is an elevation with parts broken away showing my device, arranged with counter operating means Fig. Sisadetail in elevation of one form of registering mechanism. Fig. 9 is a detail. plan; view thereof. Fig. 10 is. a detail in elevation showing a modification of the, counting mechanism- I I A represents a reversible .di'e'ha-vingtop cutting edges '10 and bottomcuttingedges ll of any usual form. It is shown as a skeleton frame and to the inside faces 12, I

attach a plurality of bearing pins 20, 21

20 or '21. Each slot has a top shoulder such as 37 and a bottom shoulder such as 38, either of which is engageable with a pin and against either of which a pin can bear. The top and bottom of the pins, the faces of the shoulders and the top and bottom faces of the frame are preferably all parallel with each other and with the top and bottom cutting edges of the die. The depth of'theframe'is such that its top face will project beyond the top cutting edgeof the die and its bottom face will be inside the bottom cutting edge thereofwhen the bottomshoulders rest upon the pins, that is when the pinsengage the shoulders and its bottom face will project beyond the bottom cutting edge of the die and its top face will be inside the top cutting edge thereof when the pins engage the top shoulders.

Referring especially to Fig. 3, it will be seen that by moving the frame up and to.

the leftuntil the pins engage the bottom shoulder, the frame will project beyond and protect die edge 10 and by moving it down and to the right as shownby the dotted lines, its bottom face will project beyond and protect die edge 11. The die can therefore be instantly reversed and by a quick movement bf the hands the protecting frame can be brought above the top cutting edge to protect it from the buffer of the press;

In Fig. at, I show adie M of a different shape which is quite irregular. In this case, the side members 40 and all of the frame are not parallel but are connected by a spider P as shown. In shifting this die from right to left and the frame on pins l2 and 43, the position ofthe side. members withreference to proximity to die M will change as shown by the dotted lines for the reason that these members are not parallel. The supporting pins should be long enough to prevent the frame from slipping off.

'As shown in Fig. 3, the bearing slots 31 are somewhat in the form of a letter Z'having a recess at the upper left to form shoulder 37 and at the lower right to form shoulder 38. Instead of this form, I may cut them as shown at 50 in Fig. 5 wherein the recesses are both at the left whereby shoulder 51 is directly over shoulder 52.

As shown in Fig. 6, I may use for aedouble edged'die 60 an exterior supporting frame 61 from the inside of which project bearing pins 62 and 63 into engagement with slots such as 64 inthe die 60. These. slots are of any form'desired each having a top and a bottom should r.

For convenience in counting the number of blanks cut, I may also attach to the frame, registering mechanism, such as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, operative by push buttons. and 71 which project slightly beyond each face of my frame. The registering mecha-. nism or mechanisms must be so attached to the frame that one push button will project above whichever face of the frame is at the top but. the other. while projecting. below the bottom face ofthe frame, will be inside the bottom cutting face of the die. Each push button, as 70, may, as shown in Fig. 8, terminate in a pawl or spring tooth 72 or 73 which engages and, operates a ratchet carried by a shaft 81 which also carries a bevel gear 82 in mesh with the larger bevel gear 83 which may have numbers'marked upon its outer face. The relation between the teeth on the ratchet wheel and the. numbers may be such that each movement of the pawl will register one. I prefer to attach each counter to a bolt such as 35 by means of a frame 100 and set screw 101. This frame is formed with bracket arms 84 and 85 which carry the bearings for shaft 81 and gear 83. Another arm 86 carries a pointerv 87 to indicatethe number registered. I may use two of such counting'devices each ofwhich is operated by a separate push button 7 0 and 71, in which case one will register rights and the other lefts, or, as shown in Fig. 10, I may use a single counter having a ratchet wheel 80 turnable by either of two push buttons, 90. or 91., In this arrangement, one button 90 projects above the top of the frame and the other 91 projects below the bottom of the frame and each carries a pawl or spring tooth as 92 or 93,- both of which pawls engage ratchet 80. With this device, the total of rights and lefts is registered but not the number of each. A compression spring such as 88 should be used in connection with each push button to bring. it back to its normal position. i

My frame maybe so formed as to fit any shape of die. With a. die like that shown reversing'until one side is dulled. IVith such a die, only. one register such as shown in. Figs. 8 and 9 is necessary. VVhen one edge dulls and the other is to be used, the register can be removed and reattached to the other side of the frame. Used in such manner, the die is substantially a single edged die and I believe that I am the first to associate with a bodily movable cutting die, a push button which projects above, the top thereof and which operates registering mechanism each time it is depressed by any platen or buffer, such as that of a clicking press, which engages the top of the die.

Other forms of protecting frames besides those shown may be used with a double edged die and other means for shifting the frame to protect the'top or bottom cutting edge besides. the bearing pins and slots may be used;

I. claim:

1. The combination with a die having top and bottomcutting edges and a plurality of pins which. project at substantially right angles therebetween, of a frame having slots each ofwhich is in engagement with a pin andeach of which has. a top and a bottom shoulder either of which is engageable with a. pin, said frame being of such depth that its top face'projects. beyond the top cutting edge of-the die and itsbottom face is inside the bottom cutting edge thereof when the pins engage the bottom shoulders, and its bottom face projects beyond the bottom cutting edge" of the die and its top face is. illside. the top cutting edge thereof when the pins engage the top shoulders.

2. The combination with a die having top and bottom. cutting edges and a plurality of pins which project at substantially right angles therebetween, of a frame having slots each of which is in engagement with a pin and each of which has a top and a bottom shoulder either of which is engageable with a pin, said frame being of such depth that its top face projects beyond the top cutting edge of the die and its bottom face is inside the bottom cutting edge thereof when the pins engage the bottom shoulders, and its bottom face projects beyond the bottom cutting edge of the die and its top face is inside the topgcutting edge thereof when the pins engage the top shoulders, and push buttons which project beyond the top and bottom faces of the frame, together with registering mechanism carried by the frame andopera tive. by the push buttons.

3 The combination with a die having top and bottom cutting edges and a plurality of pins which project at substantially right allgles therebetween, of a frame having slots each of'which is in engagement with a pin and-each of which has a top and a bottom shoulder either of which is engageable with a pin, said frame being of such depth that its top face projects beyond the top cutting edge of the die and its bottom face is inside the bottom cutting edge thereof when the pins engage the bottom shoulders, and its bottom face projects beyond the bottom cutting edge of the die and its top face is inside the top cutting edge thereof when the pins engage the top shoulders, and two push buttons which project beyond the top and bottom faces of the frame, the bottom one being insidethe bottom cutting edge of the die, together with registering mechanism carried by the frame and operative by the push buttons. I

4:. The combination with a cutting die op erable by the engagement of its top edge with a platen, of a push button which projects above said top edge, and registering zo' moving it therefrom to project beyond and 25 protect the top edge thereof when the die is in use in a clicking press and to leave the bottom edge exposed.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature.

CHARLES A. LE DUC.

Copies of this potent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Wilmington. D. G. 

